Flex Innovations RV-8 NIGHT SUPER PNP Review

Flex Innovations just released its newRV-8NIGHT SUPER PNP. This 76" EPO Foam aerobat is a true-to-scale model of the iconic Van'sRV-8. Join Mike McDougall as he assembles thisRV-8and then puts it through its paces.

In the late 90's, the Van's RV-6/6A with side-by-side seating was the hottest selling homebuilt design on the market. However, many pilots still preferred the centerline seating of the earlierRV-4design. They also expressed their desire for a bit more cockpit room and improved cross-country range. In 1995, Van's introduced a one-of-a-kind demonstrator at Oshkosh with all of those features. It was an instant sensation. The display was mobbed with spectators every day and there were pilots standing in line with handfuls of cash wanting to place orders for this new design. TheRV-8officially entered the homebuilt market in 1996 and complete kits were available by the end of 1998. 1999 saw the introduction a tricycle gear version designated the RV-8A.

Fast forward to 2018, and we find Quique Somenzini hard at work on a huge foam model of theRV-8for Flex Innovations. Thankfully Quique took his time and ironed out all the bugs till he was able to produce a plane that would fly to his exacting standards and still look like a scale version of the Van'sRV-8. Flex Innovations was able to bring this design to market in 2019 and RCGroups has secured anRV-8out of that first shipment for this Review. Let's get the box opened and check out this exciting newRV-8.

First Impressions

My first impression was WOW that's a BIG Foamie! At first I was a little disappointed in the quality of the paint and trim on the plane, but then I realized that this was NEVER intended to be a Master's Level Scale model. It was intended to be a world class FLYING model that also looked like a scaleRV-8. Next I realized that the green on the plane wasn't quite as vivid as it appeared in some of the pictures on the Flex Innovations website. I was afraid it was going to beGlow-In-The-Dark GREEN. Instead, it was a very pleasant bright green that looked stunning with the black trim and white EPO foam. The landing gear was impressive - much sturdier than I expected. That huge canopy was crystal clear and the hatch had a positive latch assembly at the front holding it securely in place. The all-white pilot wasn't going to work though, so my wife volunteered to give him a good coat of paint.

Required Parts

Parts Supplied by Flex Innovations for this Review

For this review, Flex Innovations supplied anRV-8 Night Super PNPat a reduced price to this Author.

Assembly

The 31-page illustratedInstruction Manualdetails the assembly process for the Flex InnovationsRV-8. The Manual is filled with excellent step-by-step instructions and detailed pictures to help guide the builder through the entire assembly process. There were a couple of small areas that I feel needed more details, so I'll point out a couple of helpful hints along the way.

Canopy/Hatch

Before starting the formal assembly, the "Colorless" pilot had be addressed. Luckily the hatch assembly was cleverly designed with a removable insert for mounting the pilot bust. The pilot was designed with a knob on the bottom that tightly fit into a recess in the removable hatch insert. Once the pilot was freed from the canopy, my wife began to colorize his very being. I like the results a whole lot better!

Landing Gear

The formal assembly process began on Page 5 with the landing gear. The self-tapping screws provided with theRV-8were not exactlyGrade 8 hardened steeland could break off if over tightened. Ask me how I know - total operator error. Tightening as tight as they will go and then turning an additional 1/4 turn was not a good idea with these screws. That being said, the provided screws were perfectly fine for the plane.

It was difficult to get the wheel pant retaining plate to tighten up against the landing gear and the whole wheel pant seemed a bit loose. The problem was that the screw would tap into the pant and then into the plate and was not able to pull the two pieces together. The screw opening in the pant needed to be opened up a bit so that the screw could rotate freely and tighten the pant retainer plate securely against thegear leg.

Tail Wheel

Next up was thetail wheel assembly. The tail wheel retaining plate slot was too tight to allow the wheel assemble to slide all the way into the slot. Also, the retaining plate tab was slightly too large to allow the wheel assembly to fully seat against the retainer. All that was needed was a quick touch with a drill in the slot and a sanding disc on the tab corner and thetail wheel assemblyslid into place just fine.

Rudder and Elevator

The rudder and elevator were next. The rudder assembly was epoxied in place and the lower rudder hinge screw was checked to be sure it was in place and tight. The elevator halves slid easily into place and were fastened with the provided screws.

Wings

Aileron Servo Warning

The manual contained a warning on Page 19 to remove the aileronservo mounting screws, add blue thread lock to the screw threads, and fully re-tighten the screws. The screws on the ReviewRV-8were a bit loose and the holes in the mount seemed a bit large. Rather than switching to a large mounting screw, I followed the recommendation and used blue thread lock on the existing screws. They seem to be holding just fine.

Wing Mounting

The wing tab on one wing would not fully line up with the blind nut in the fuselage. The hole in the tab was slightly elongated, but even though the wing was fully seated and no wires were trapped between the wing and fuselage, the wing retaining screw could not be started. A quick touch with a small grinding bit was all that was needed to provide the proper fit.

Radio Installation

The manual recommended Spektrum SRXL type receivers for use with the installedAura 8stabilizer system. TheSpektrum AR8010Treceiver was chosen for this Review. Since the AR8010T has the required SRXL bus system, only one servo lead was needed to connect the receiver to theAura 8stabilizer. The only other lead connected to the receiver was from the ESC - plugged into the throttle port. Coffee Stir Sticks were used as antenna keepers for the RX main antennas and made great antenna protectors for the remotes.

The manual showed a number of alternative receiver wiring diagrams including one for "Standard" receivers. There are reports that some modelers have even been able to use their older non-2.4 radio systems with good results. TheAura 8was designed with incredible flexibility in mind.

The installedAura 8Advanced Flight Control System came fully programmed for theRV-8. Quique Somenzini established the factory settings for theRV-8installation and they should be just right. There wereThreefactory-set Flight Modes - No stabilization, Sport stabilization, and 3D stabilization. The 3D Mode also paired the flaps with the ailerons for increased roll authority.

For those who wish to change the factory settings on theAura 8, Flex Innovations has some very nice programmingvideo tutorialsand a niceWIKI site.

For the purposes of this Review, theAura 8was left in the factory programmed settings.

Completion

The plane balanced perfectly at 10-7/8" from thetrailing edgeof the wing with the batteries installed toward the back of the battery tray.

The transmitter countdown timer was set for 5 minutes and 30 seconds. It was set to start and run at any throttle setting above 20%.

Flying

The Flex InnovationsRV-8is a large foam model of a great flying homebuilt. To remain true to its full scale heritage, the model should exhibit stable low speed capabilities as well as exceptional aerobatic maneuverability. It's time to shove the throttle stick forward and see how well thisRV-8flies.

Taking Off and Landing

TheAura 8was set to FM2 (Sport Mode), the flaps were left up and the throttle slowly advanced. The rudder was responsive as the tail lifted and the plane tracked well down the runway with just a bit of right rudder to keep it centered. The wheels broke ground at half throttle and theRV-8climbed out rock steady as the throttle was eased on up. Subsequent takeoffs were just as uneventful with or without flaps. The flaps shortened the takeoff roll somewhat, but did not cause theRV-8to shoot straight up like on some models. This Flex InnovationsRV-8had great ground handling manners.

Landings for many scale-style planes usually work best with a little power carried into thefinal approach. TheRV-8was no exception. Just a bit of power kept the approach angle steady all the way to touchdown. Wheel landings were very easy and they looked nice and scale. Rollout was fairly short even on our fabric runway. Mid position flaps helped slow down the approach speed and shortened the rollout distance. Full flaps were very effective. The approach speed was reduced even further and the rollout was much shorter. I don't know if it was Quique's magic touch or just Van's design, but the Flex InnovationsRV-8lands like a dream.

Scale Flight

TheRV-8flew scale patterns just like its full-size namesake. It looked mighty impressive in the pattern and touch-and-goes were a thing of beauty. There's just something special about an RV model in the air. TheAura 8settings were spot on for scale flight. The model flew very steady while remaining responsive but not twitchy - a real credit to the programming. The recommended elevator compensation values for the Flaps were perfect except the sign was reversed for my iX12 transmitter. Once the value was changed from negative to positive, mid flaps and full flaps would maintain perfectly level flight. Full flap passes, slow and down on the deck, were very impressive. The LED landing and Nav lights added a lot to the scale realism.

Sport Aerobatics

Most full scale homebuilts were not known for their great aerobatic capabilities. Luckily for us, Van designed the full sizeRV-8as a true sport aerobatic airplane. Quique put his signature touch on the Flex InnovationsRV-8and created a model with exceptional sport aerobatic capabilities. The Flex InnovationsRV-8was able to easily perform all the typical sport model aerobatic maneuvers. The rudder was very effective. In fact, a slightly lower rate rudder setting in the transmitter may be helpful in the Sport Mode for some pilots. Stall turns were nice and crisp, snaps were quick and tight, and knife edge flight only required a touch of rudder deflection. The elevator was just as effective. Even in Sport Mode, loops were very tight both inside and outside. Spins were nice and tight and recovery was quick and easy. The Potenza 70 motor had plenty of power on 6S and only needed full power for extended verticals or just for showing off fast and low.

3D Aerobatics

Quique Somenzini was involved with the design of thisRV-8, of course it's gonna 3D! As mentioned earlier, in 3D Mode the flaps moved in concert with the ailerons. The surface throws for the ailerons and the elevator also increased substantially in this mode. The Potenza 70 motor had plenty of power to easily hover theRV-8. While I'm not much of a 3D pilot, theAura 8sure made me look good. For a better measure of the 3D capability of theRV-8, check out thisflight video.

Is This For a Beginner?

Aerobatic Scale Style models are not for the absolute beginner. However, theAura 8AFCS stabilization system makes thisRV-8an ideal first large scale model for any intermediate flyer. It's a credit to Quique Somenzini's design and programming capabilities that this model is so stable and forgiving.

Flight Photo Gallery

The Texas weather finally cooperated with a bit of sunshine, so we packed up the cameras and headed to the flying field. Early morning sun and light winds made for some very good photography and flying conditions. The flight batteries were installed and Jesse Webb was in position with the Nikon at the ready. Hope you enjoy the results.

Flight Video

Jesse Webb readied the Camcorder as I swapped batteries in theRV-8. He did a great job of capturing the flight, even the parts where I went the wrong way.

Final Thoughts

This new Flex InnovationsRV-8is a 3D acrobat inRV clothing. It can fly slow and easy like a well mannered homebuilt, or it can hang on its prop and rotate around its wingtips - all this while letting the pilot feel in complete control the whole time. I like what Quique and Flex Innovations have done with this newRV-8. It's a large EPO foam model shaped like an Iconic Homebuilt that has the heart and soul of a3D machine. The Potenza 70 motor is plenty stout and theAura 8AFCS helps keep the plane tame at all times without limiting the fun.